Firefighters extinguish a fire in the woods off Marble Island Rd. in Colchester on Wednesday. / DAMIR ALISA/ FREE PRESS

Written by

Free Press Staff

The brush and forest fire danger is expected to remain high in Vermont through the weekend as an unusually long and intense spell of dry, warm weather continues.

Though there was no statewide burn ban as of midday Thursday, many local fire wardens have stopped issuing burn permits for people wishing to get rid of their brush piles. The bans are likely to stay in effect until rain and higher humidity arrive.

Vermont has already experienced several fires. A grass fire in Hyde Park Monday destroyed a garage, threatened homes and forced the brief evacuation of a court house. A five-acre forest fire hit Monkton on Sunday, and a difficult to control brush fire was put out on Marble Island in Colchester Wednesday.

Several smaller fires were reported Thursday.

No significant rain has fallen in Vermont since April 19, and dead grass and leaves on forest floors from last year have become tinder dry. The National Weather Service in South Burlington issued a statement saying sunny, warm weather with low humidity would continue through at least Sunday, enhancing the fire danger.

Fortunately, winds are expected to remain light for the next several days, so fires won’t spread as fast over the next few days as they would on gusty days, forecasters said.

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation said most woodland fires in Vermont start from escaped blazes from open burning by homeowners.

The department urged people to postpone brush pile burns until wetter weather arrives, and reminded people that burn permits are required from local fire wardens before people can set their brush piles ablaze.

For those who insist on burning their brush piles, people should clear the area around the pile of all flammable material, never leave the fire unattended, have a hose and rakes ready, and call 911 immediately if the fire gets out of hand, the department said in a statement.